Proceeds from the firefighters' cook off go to burn research at the Health Sciences Centre. Online voting closes Aug. 8. The top-five finalists will serve their recipes for a panel of judges on Sunday Aug. 19 at the Winnipeg BBQ & Blues Festival.

The new festival, which was announced earlier this year, runs Aug. 17 to 19 at the Red River Exhibition Park, just west of the Winnipeg's Perimeter on Portage Avenue. The weekend-long party includes performances by blues legend Jimmy Vaughan and local star Big Dave Maclean. Also on tap: The Pit Masters Championship, a Kansas City-sanctioned BBQ competition with a $10,000 purse, the largest pool of winnings ever for a BBQ contest in Canada.

The winner gets an invitation to the Jack Daniels World Championship Invitational Barbecue Competition in Lynchburg, Tennessee.

Festival weekend passes ($37) and a limited number of daily passes are currently on sale. For tickets click here.